Electrical-control railway gate



l. H. TAYLOR AND E. F. LA FRAY.

ELECTRICAL CONTROL RAILWAY GATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY H, 192!- Patented June 113, 1922.

1&4111 9941124 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 rows? A TTORIIEYS L H. TAYLOR AND E. 'F. LA FRAY.

ELECTRICAL CONTROL RAILWAY GATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAYII IQZI- NU IUN 1,41 QEQQQLI WITNESSES L JAB/ ES HODGE TAYLOR AND ELMER FRANCIS LA EBAY, E DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

ELECTRICAL-CONTROL RAILWAY GATE.

in area.

Application filed May 11,

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that we, turns H. TAYLOR and Emma i La Fear, citizens of the United 3 ates, and residents of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of idichigan, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Electrical-Control Railway Gates, of which the following is a speciiication.

fl'ur present invention relates generally to railway gates of much the same type as shown in the Patent 1,1i0,081 granted to James H. Tivlor and Albert H. Mansell under (late of Clay is, 1.915, 0111 object being the substitution however of electrical control means for the mechanical means of the patent, and to refine and improve certain of the mechanical parts in such a way as to min imize the uec ssary excavation adjacent to railroad tracks and do away with the necessity for stop posts to hold the gates in effective position, render the gates themselves stronger and more effective, permit of housing of the "ate actuating parts, and generally increase effectiveness and efliciency.

With these objects in mind our present invention resides in the features of construction, arrangement and operation to be now described with respect to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specilication and in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the practical application of our invention in its complete form,

Figure 2 is a perspective plan view nore or less diagrammatic, showing the gates in the open or ineffective position,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 9 showing the gates closed,

Figure a is a side elevation of one of. the gates and its operating connections, and

Figure a detail perspective view of one of the fulcrum supporting frames.

ieferring now to these figures and particularly to Figures 2 and the gate mechanisms as proposed by our present invention are controlled through the energization of electromagnets 10 in circuit with one another and with a suitable source of current as for instance a battery 11 through circuit wires 12 and 13 and through circuit controlling means which as shown in Figure 2 may take the form of a switch 14 located in a switch tower or at any other pointconvenient to the roadway crossing of the tracks 15 as shown in Figure 1. On the other hand as specification of Letters Patent.

1921. Serial No. 468,532.

lated from one another and from the mainrails 15, it being understood that the gate mechanisms will be held in active closed position so long the circuit is complete through the electromagnets and will resume inactive open positions when the circuit is broken. lhus a train approaching in either direction will complete the circuit as soon as strikes the respective ends of the rail sect ons 15 and 15 and the circuit will be again opened when the train leaves these rail sections after it has passed the road crossing.

Each of the gate mechanisms includes a gate having an open frame 16 intermediate its ends, the opposite sides of which frame have sockets 17 receiving the inner ends of axially alined gate beams 18 and 19, each of the latter of which has at its outer end a cup 20 provided with outstanding apertured lugs 21. To these lugs are attached the outer ends of truss connections 22 whose inner ends are anchored in connection with eye bolts 23 secured to the frame 16 at its opposite sides.

The fulcrum on which the gate swings either one way or the other depending upon the direction in which this fulcrum is in clined with respect to a vertical, is formed by a pivot bolt 24 projecting through the frame 16 at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the gate, and around which, between the upper and lower portions of the frame 16 is a sleeve or thiinble 25 which reinforces frame 16 especially in connection with the bearing thimbles 26 of the U-shaped end 27 of a pivotal supporting frame 28, which hearing thimbles 26 engage the pivot bolt 24 immediately above and below the gate frame 16.

intermediate its ends the pivotal supporting frame 28 has a depending lug 29 and this lug projects between the upper forks 30 of a supporting stand 31 and is apertured to receive a pivot bolt 32 so that by raising and lowering the opposite free end of the pivotal supporting frame 28, the fulcrum of swinging movement of the gate will be tilted in opposite directions to provide for its swinging by gravity between open and closed positions.

The pivotal supporting frame 28 is also provided with a laterally offset upstanding arm 33 which forms a stop for the gate in the closed position shown in Figure 3, and which to this end is engaged by the gate frame in such position.

To the free end of the pivotal supporting frame 28 is pivoted the upper end of a connecting rod 34-, the lower end of which is pivotally connected to one end of a rocker arm 35 whose opposite end is secured upon a rock shaft 36 journaled in uprights 37. To this rock shaft 36 is also connected an arm 38 one free end of which forms an armature 39 for the respective electromag- .net 10, the opposite end of which arm 38 has a weight 4-0 adjustable thereon to rock the shaft 36 and cause pivotal movement of the supporting frame 28 when the armature 39 is released from the electromagnet in the position shown particularly in Figure 4.

In the exercise of its functions the weight 40 holds the gate in the open inactive position shown in Figure 2 in which the free end of the gate bar 19 is engaged With the grav .ity latch member 41-1. of an upright latch post 42 at one side of the roadway, and from which the gate is lifted free when its fulcrum is again tilted to start the same swinging toward closed position and into engagement with the stop arm 33.

Thus when the circuit is completed either by closing of the switch 14; in Figure 2 or by the passage of a train onto the track sections 15 and 15" of Figure 3, the outer end of the pivotal supporting frame :28 is elevated and its opposite end descends. the latched end of the gate will be elevated free of engagement of the latch and the gate fulcrum shifted at the same time to a position inclined vith respect to a vertical so that the gate may then swing to closed position without hindrance.

It is furthermme obvious from the foregoing description that such above described movements of the parts are brought about automatically, and in this as well. as in other features it is obvious the movement of the parts may be either manually or automatically controlled as may be desirable.

It is also obvious that in add ition to providing for effective check of the gate in the effective position, that is by virtue of the stop arm 33 so as to do away with the necessity for a stop post ordinarily employed for this purpose, the connections lend themselves to ready housing within casings such as indicated at 43 in Figure 1. which are provided with horizontal slots permittingthe gates to swing.

We claim:

1. A railway gate having an upright ful.- crumed intermediate its ends, a gate supporting stand, a frame pivoted intermediate its ends upon the stand and having a U- shaped portion at one side of its pivot, the extensions of which have bearings for the upper and lower portions of the gate fulcrum, a rock shaft having an outstanding arm movably connected to the opposite ends of said frame, electrical controlling connections including an electromagnet, a lever on the rock shaft one end of which forms an armature for said electromagnet, and an adjustable weight mounted on the other end of the lever as and for the purpose described.

2. A railway gate having an upright fulcrumed intermediate its ends, a supporting stand for the gate, a frame tiltably mounted on the stand and having means at one end engaging and supporting the gate fulcrum. an angular stop arm projecting from the said frame for engagement by one end of the gate in the effective position of the latter, and connections for tilting the frame having connection with the opposite end thereof as described.

3. A railway gate having an upright fulcrumed intermediate its ends, a supporting stand, a frame pivoted intermediate its ends upon the stand and having a Ushaped portion at one end the extensions of which engage and support the fulcrum of the gate. electrical controlling connections including an electromagnet, a lever having an intermediate fulcrum and flexibly connected to the other end of said frame. one end of said lever carrying an armature for the said electromagnet, and a weight adjustable on the other end of the lever as described.

4-. A railway gate consisting of a pair of axially alined gate bars, a frame extending between and connecting the inner ends of said bars, truss members connected at their inner ends to the sides of the frame and at their outer ends to said gate bars. an upright fulcrum forming member extending through the frame, and tiltable means engaging and supporting said fulcrum forming member.

5. A railway gate consisting of a pair of axially alined gate bars, a frame extending between and connecting the inner ends of said bars, truss members connected at their inner ends to the sides of the frame and at their outer ends to said gate bars, an up right fulcrum forming bolt extending through said frame and beyond the upper and lower portions thereof, means tiltabiy supporting the said fulcrum forming bolt and engaging the upper and lower ends thereof. and a frame bracing member sleeved on the bolt between the upper and lower portions of the frame as described.

JAMES HODGE TAYLOR. ELMER FRANCIS LA. FRAY. 

